Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers - Chapter 253

Chapter 253: Fake witch
*~Leon’s POV~*

“No. Please, don’t do this,” I said, my voice breaking, reaching toward Hazel.

But Hazel raised her hand calmly, her expression carved in authority. “I’m sorry, Leon. This was decided by the council. It’s not my choice.”

She released Sophia’s hand, and my so-called wife stepped forward slowly, her eyes shining with that same manipulative innocence that had fooled everyone but me.

“By next season,” Hazel continued coldly, “your wife must be pregnant—”

“Hazel, stop,” I cut in, my tone sharp. “She doesn’t want this. Please. You know how much of a liar your sister is. You know her, Hazel. If you believe anyone, believe me. I saw those demons with my own eyes—they said our mate bond is false! Don’t trap me in this, please. Don’t condemn me to a lifetime of pain and regret.”

Hazel turned back, her eyes softening for only a brief second before she looked away.

Then she smiled, faint and sad. “Aurora testified,” she said simply. “And I’m not looking at you, Leon. I’m looking at Aurora. She confirmed it.”

My heart stopped.

Hazel gave a quiet sigh, almost like pity. “I’m sorry, Leon,” she whispered. “You should have thought about this before you mocked fate.”

Then she walked off, leaving me in silence with Sophia—who was smiling.

That smile made something inside me snap.

Before I could stop myself, I grabbed her arms and pulled her toward me. “Why are you lying?!” I shouted. “Answer me, Sophia. Why are you lying?”

She flinched, but her face quickly hardened, the tears gone like they’d never existed.

“Lying?” she scoffed. “Why would I lie? Give me one good reason I would lie.”

“One good reason?” I barked a bitter laugh. “Because if you don’t, you lose everything! You’d stop being my mate—you’d stop being my wife. You’d stop enjoying all the luxuries, all the respect, all the attention that comes with being the Beta’s woman!”

Her lip curled into a smirk. “And who made that decision, Leon?” she asked quietly, venom dripping from her voice. “I didn’t mark myself. You did.”

I froze.

“I didn’t ask for this,” she continued, stepping closer, her voice shaking with restrained anger. “I was running away that night. You stopped me. You dragged me back here into the High House. You marked me. You wed me. I didn’t choose any of it.”

Her eyes glistened—not with sadness, but fury.

“And now,” she hissed, “now you want to throw me away because suddenly it doesn’t fit your convenient truth? Because now you say it’s a lie?”

“Because it was a lie!” I roared, my voice echoing against the walls. “All of this—every single part of it—was never meant to happen!”

But Sophia just laughed—low, bitter, and triumphant.

“Well, it’s happening,” she said softly. “And you’re not walking away from me, Leon. Not in this life.”

“It was a stupid lie!” I shouted, my voice breaking as every nerve in me burned. “It was! This mate mark….” I pointed to the mark on her neck, my hand trembling, “….it’s nothing but a lie! It’s not sacred, it’s not fate, it’s not the Moon’s blessing. It’s a curse. A fraud made by a greedy demon who wanted Aurora all to himself, and wanted to keep me out of the picture!”

Sophia scoffed, the sound cutting through the air like a blade. “I knew it,” she hissed. “It’s always her. Aurora this, Aurora that.” Her eyes narrowed into sharp slits. “You don’t care about anything or anyone. You only care about yourself and that witch!”

“That’s not—”

“I don’t care anymore!” she shouted over me, her voice shrill with anger. “You’ve always chosen her, but now it’s my turn to put myself first. I’ll make sure you feel my warmth, Leon. You’ll remember who your real wife is. And we’re going to start tonight.”

She reached for my hand, but I slapped hers away.

“Don’t you dare touch me.”

Her eyes darkened. “Oh, Leon…” she said softly, venom lacing every word. “Do you want me to grab Hazel and tell her you’re acting up again? That you’re refusing your duty?”

Her tone turned sickeningly sweet. “Don’t be stubborn. Be a good husband. Calm down, and come to bed.”

She reached for me again. I slapped her hand away a second time, harder. “I said don’t touch me!”

Her lips curled into a mocking smile. “You’re only making this harder on yourself,” she said.

I stepped back, clenching my fists. “You know what? I’m coming. Just… go. Go to the room. I need to clear my head.”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“I said I’ll come,” I repeated, my voice colder. “Do you want me to—” I stopped myself, lowering my tone. “Do you really want me to be with you right now with this attitude? Go.”

She blinked, lips parting slightly, but then she scoffed again and turned away. “Fine. Don’t keep me waiting too long.”

I stood there, frozen in the hallway, my chest rising and falling like I’d just fought a battle.

Damn it.

This couldn’t happen. I knew what she was trying to do—trap me. If I gave in once, it would all be over. Even if she didn’t get pregnant, she’d fake it, and I’d be tied to her forever.

I pressed my hands to my face. “Why is she lying?” I muttered under my breath. “Why?”

Darius said it himself—right in front of her—that our mate bond was false. And she looked shocked then, just like me. So why now? Why was she acting like this?

My stomach twisted violently, my mind spinning in every direction.

And then..

“Leon?”

My heart stopped.

I ignored it, pressing my fingers harder against my temples. “No,” I muttered. “I’m imagining it. I’m losing it.”

But then it came again…Louder and clearer.

“Leon?”

I blinked and turned around—slowly, almost afraid to see what was there.

And then I saw her.

Standing behind me, holding a bunch of rose flowers in her hands.

“What are you doing with that?” I barked, rushing toward her. I snatched the flowers from her grip and flung them across the floor.

Her eyes widened in shock. “Leon—?”

I ignored her. My hands were already on her face, my fingers trembling against her skin. “Are you okay? Did you touch them?”

“What?” she blinked, startled.

“You don’t touch rose flowers!” I hissed. “You’re allergic!”

Her confusion deepened. “I… I didn’t know.”

“How could you not know?!” My voice cracked as I grabbed her shoulders. “The last time you touched them, you nearly died! You were sick for a month, Aurora. You couldn’t even breathe properly for days.”

She froze, blinking fast, lips parted like she didn’t know how to respond.

I scanned her frantically, my eyes darting over her skin, searching for any rash, redness—anything. But she looked… fine. Perfectly fine. Not even the faintest irritation.

Nothing about this was right.

“Seriously, Aurora…” I whispered. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I said I’m fine,” she mumbled, stepping back. Her tone was wrong—too distant, too measured. She turned, trying to leave.

I caught her wrist. “Why are your eyes blue?”

She stiffened, her body going rigid in my grip.

“And your heartbeat,” I said quietly, my voice breaking as I pressed my hand to her chest. “It’s different. I know your heartbeat, Aurora. I can recognize it like a song. I’ve memorized every beat of it, every pause. But this—” I shook my head. “This isn’t you.”

Her hand trembled slightly, still clutching her wrist. She turned halfway, avoiding my eyes, her hair falling forward like a shield.

“Tell me what happened,” I said, my voice low, almost pleading.

“Nothing happened,” she replied quickly, too quickly.

“Look at me,” I said.

She turned, but only enough for me to see a sliver of her face—her lips, her jaw, the gleam of her eyes behind her hair. “Stop this, Leon,” she muttered. “Aren’t you ashamed? You’re a married man, and yet you’re standing here studying another woman’s heartbeat, her eyes, her lips.”

“That’s not what this is,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Then what is it?” she snapped, shoving at my chest. “You think every time your wife says something you don’t like, you can come running to me to play your games? I’m not your distraction, Leon!”

She turned sharply, but I moved faster. I stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

I reached out and grabbed her chin, turning her face toward me despite her resistance. “Are you Aurora?” I asked.

She jerked away, furious. “Of course, I’m Aurora! Who else would I be?”

“Then prove it,” I said quietly.

She blinked, taken aback. “How can you expect me to prove that I’m myself?”

“You tell me,” I said, my voice dropping to a whisper. “You’re the one acting like a stranger. You’re the one whose eyes changed, whose heart doesn’t sound right, whose scent is off. You even taste different.”

“Disgusting,” she spat. “You’re disgusting, Leon. You’ve lost your mind. Hazel should know her Beta is running around obsessed with his ex—”

“When did you start using your powers?” I cut in, my voice deadly calm.

She froze.

“What?”

“It’s a simple question,” I said. “When did you start using your powers?”

Her throat bobbed. She took a slow breath, then turned her head slightly. “The day I moved into the High House,” she said finally. “Enough?”

I didn’t answer. I just stared.

Then I stepped back. “Yeah,” I said, forcing my voice steady. “That’s enough.”

I turned and started walking away, every nerve in me burning with certainty.

That was a lie.

Aurora didn’t start using her powers when she moved into the High House. She’d been using them long before that—since the forest fire, since before the Crescent raid.

Whoever this was—whoever was standing there—

it wasn’t Aurora.